Welcome to the world Zara!! This birth was so special because it's my FIRST ever (other than my own, which I don't remember) that I've been in the room for. Mama Rina has been a friend of mine for years and as their family has grown, I've photographed baby bumps and kiddos and cuddles, so I was SO honored when she asked me if I would be willing to photograph the moments of Zara's birth. I jumped for joy and quickly cancelled everything in my social calendar for her due date week.
And then the full moon came and it was Father's Day and pretty much all the stars aligned for Zara to come into the world a few minutes after midnight on June 17th. I've never experienced something so earthy and heavenly at the same time. I couldn't stop talking about it for the next week. Enjoy clicking through Zara's birth photos (or at least the ones that are G-rated enough to be online!) Just when I thought the Humkar family couldn't get any cuter, they go and make another baby! I’m so excited to welcome baby Zara into the world but for now, I sure am enjoying snapping photos of little Zayne cuddling with dad and kissing Mama Rina’s belly. Loved shooting this family session on a foggy marine layer-y June day at El Matador State Beach in Malibu.
And then ten days later, I was at the hospital photographing Zara's birth! >> How ultra-fitting that Malibu burst into a riot of green regrowth and bright yellow wild flowers in the months after the Woolsey Fire, right around the time Maile's belly is bursting with the life of the Arroyo's first son. Baby Apollo, you're going to be a legend.
Christmas time is usually the time of year when family portraits consist of magical frost-covered everything, cozy parkas and fur-lined boots. But in Malibu? We go to the beach and get our bare feet in the Pacific 365 days a year. Check out this sweet family of four on their Christmas vacation to Malibu, CA. (PS daddy-o is my brother Peter!)
Family is the most precious gift. And around November last year, that truth took on new meaning for many families in the Agoura Hills and Malibu area as hundreds of homes and a hundred thousand acres of land burned in the worst wildfire Los Angeles county had ever seen.
The Jackson's home was spared, but they were evacuated for over a week, just like so many of their friends and neighbors. When they returned, they returned to charred hills, mixed with random pockets of green that had been spared. Their family photo session had been scheduled for months (and we actually had to reschedule it a little bit because of the fire), but we decided to have the shoot anyway. Scroll down to see the Jackson family, an oasis of life and hope, in the midst of the charred landscape of the hills above De Anza Park. The Zachary family gets a medal for cracking the at-home-photo-shoot code: BAKE COOKIES!!! Who would have thought that such a simple idea would result in SO many too cute for words detail and giggle photos?!? And then while the cookies were baking, we explored the rest of the house: play room, tea party in the bedroom, even a cuddle puddle on the couch and about four minutes of chalk drawing outside (three-year-olds have short attention spans).
Move over, perfect beach Christmas card photos, the cookie-making family photo session is here. Does this cute family of four look familiar? Maybe you recognize Mama Z's baby bump from a couple years ago >> My how these kiddos grow... If you're looking to take great family photos in Malibu, the obvious answer is usually to go to the beach, but what if you're looking for something a little different? Just across Pacific Coast Highway, Zuma Canyon connects to a canyon full of trails and hill vistas, just waiting to be discovered. The Beard family, along with their two very-cool-but-still-very-patient-with-photos teens explored these beautiful trails around sunset, sharing laughs and hugs.
What made this particular shoot especially memorable was that just a few days later, the Woolsey Fire tore through Malibu, incinerating the grasses and oak trees in these photos. The hills will recover, but it will never look the same as it does in the Beard's family photos. Twenty minutes of shooting, a handful of quality photos edited and delivered to you fast for your holiday cards... all without breaking the bank. It's the perfect solution for a quick handful of family photos!
Check out the Limber family (two dogs in tow) on a sunny fall afternoon at Alumni Park in Malibu. Interested in a mini-session? Check out all the details on my rates page >> A quick foggy fall session at El Matador with the Kurtz family, which recently acquired a new member!
With miles of beaches, canyons, and grassy meadows, Malibu is known for its natural beauty, but what most people don't realize is that the developed parts of Malibu are also full of fun and funky corners that make for beautiful photo ops. You just have to time it right!
The Collins family wanted some snaps that represent favorite memories and hang outs that are part of their daily life—trips to the playground, visits to the hardware store, acai bowls at the local juice bar. Usually these locations are packed with people, but we decided to visit first thing in on a weekday morning, when we would have it all to ourselves. It's amazing how a commercial storefront can transform into a beautiful photography setting when you have it all to yourself! Mama Kristy also requested some fun, funky, serious, etc. portraits of her kiddos. Well throw all that together into one sun-drenched morning and you get the magic that ensues below. See if you can recognize some of these favorite Malibu hangs. |
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